With the Detroit 'Big Three' Disasters and everyone finding out about Walmart....killing off most of the local small retail merchants, I've wondered about this:

How much MORE would you be willing to pay for equal merchandise.....with a guarantee that the product was completey MADE/ FABRICATED in the USA ?

Is there any entrepreneur type out there who would take a flyer on starting up a chain of stores that were called "Made in America" ? In my scenario, the RAW materials could come from another country, but all of the manufacturing/ assembly/ distribution would be done inside the US. The owner of the elements of production could even be a foreign company....but the majority of jobs would be here.

I don't know if this idea would really work. A lot of folks would SAY they would pay more (knowing the extra cost would provide jobs for their friends and family)....but the ACT of purchase might not follow thru...

What do you think? Why did you vote your answer in the POLL?

 

Ahem..........we all drive S2000s.

 

It depends on what the product is, and what the alternative country it is. For instance, I would (and did) pay a premium for a made in Japan car (TSX) over a made in the USA car. However, I paid slightly more for my made in the US Cannondale mountain bike than I would have for a Taiwanese frame (but then, the C-dale has a bunch of Japanese designed, Taiwanese manufactured Shimano parts hung off of it). I have also bought higher-end Boston Acoustics speakers that were made in the USA.

So, would I buy an American made product over something made in Taiwan, Korea, China, etc? Yes, if it isn't a commodity. For a commodity, I don't care.

But would I pay a premium over something made in, say, Germany, Japan, etc? No, probably not, and often I will pay a premium for the imported item.

Product quality rules. I'm not going to buy American in blind loyalty if they cannot make a competitive, or superior, product.

 

I think Chris is absoluletly right. It depends on the item. I think, regardless of price, people will buy the product that they want, regardless of where it's made.

Many people say they'd buy American, but talk is cheap. People buy what suits them.

I'm not sure that price (either way) is as much of an issue as we've been lead to believe. For too many years American manufacturers hid behind the myth of not being able to compete with foreign merchandise, and in some industries it was true. In general, however, there was much more to the problem.

I didn't vote in your poll because for me the issue isn't where its made so much as what it is I'm buying and how its made.

 

Gerry,
I have worked in the apparel industry for 33 years. Back in the 80's the apparel industry and the unions initiated a campaign for making apparel items in the US. As part of their effort a "Crafted With Pride In the USA" label was sewn into the garment. There were TV adds promoting buy USA. If I am not mistaken Wally World even advertised they would always purchase domestic if products were cost competitive.

Our industry is very labor intense and in the 80's and especially the 90's it with very low unemployment it was very difficult to FIND labor. My present company tried to expand two of our small domestic plants and simply could not get enough labor to sustain our existing employee levels, let alone expand. However in El Salvador and Honduras people were standing in long lines to fill out applications. Yes it is true many jobs have been lost to foreign countries but many shipping, customs, distribution and retail jobs have also been created to support these imports.

I dislike Wally World but their parking lot is always full! So when people complain about losing jobs yet are willing to shop with the biggest perpetrator then I know their priority!!

 

I don't like Walmart because the standard there, I believe, is low. They buy cheap and sell cheap. This seems to work for a lot of people. If all things are equal, I'll buy American every time, if not, I'm going for the higher quality, where ever it's made.

 

When Walmart first started the quality of their stuff was a little less but not too much less than other stores ...... Now the Quality SUCKS and I do not buy clothes in that store....much less anything else....yes they are cheaper but the quality of their stuff has you buying 3 times as much as you would if you bought better quality...just my opinion...

 

This subject is all about price and, in turn, the cost of labor. Your personal purchasing criteria is irrelevant! Walmart is the biggest employer in America because they have the most stores. They have the most stores becuase of price. Our own buying motives don't amount to a hill of $#@!. Even if 100% of the folks here voted in Jerry's poll to pay 100% more to buy American made, you would be a fool to base a business on such a model.

 

^ I agree! I bought a Wal-Mart battery for my SUV and it turned out to be a defective one. They promptly replaced it for free and haven't had any problem since. It was considerably cheaper and had a longer period warranty coverage. It is hard to compete with cheaper price, especially if the store has a good customer service.

 

I voted, but it would depend on the product.